[00:00:00] This is strong Asian lead podcasts about the Asian landscape in Hollywood. I’m your host, David Moriya.

Masami: And I’m your other host Emi Lea Kamemoto.

Emi: and welcome back everybody. We’re glad to have this week, uh, to talk about calling in, calling out Hollywood. This is something new that we need to start talking about. We didn’t come together as a community have these conversations. So we just cause my idea, my thoughts on this is that if we’re not talking about it, then we’re not talking about it and nothing gets moved forward.

We should always be moving. We should always be moving forward. That might be a lot of work. We are pushing up against a Hill, if we don’t push up against the Hill, then we’re never going to move it or move forward. unless we start moving together, cause we can’t do it alone and no one can, one person can roll a Boulder up a mountain themselves.

We have to, we can do it together. We don’t have to do it alone. as long as we’re.

Masami: Yeah.

Emi: if it’s just an inch, have to keep moving it [00:01:00] together. But if we only do it in silos, if we only talk about it with ourselves and with our, just our friends not calling out to ourselves and then public in the community and calling out Hollywood, need, we’re not moving anything forward.

So that’s what we’d like to talk about today.

Masami: We’ve spent some time identifying the problems within the entertainment industry when it comes to representing authentic stories, stories of identities that are not white. And we were able to. Nailed down this problem statement. You know, my time in the corporate world means that I like to make problems, statements, opportunity, statements, and solutions.

But one thing that strikes me about the entertainments. Industry’s move towards diversity, equity and inclusion is that we’re championing diversity and inclusion within the entertainment industry, but we don’t even have a central definition for what diversity means. [00:02:00] We have zero clearly identified goals across the industry about how to achieve diversity or inclusion, or what’s important when it comes to inclusive storytelling or diversity within entertainment companies.

And. On set or behind the camera. So how can we be making progress towards a goal if we’re not even aligned to what that goal is?

Emi: right. And what, and who’s included in BiPAP communities. people don’t feel like they’re included in that part of it. Uh, a lot of Asians, including myself, didn’t feel like they were people of color we’ve been left out of certain conversations. So how are we looking at that same that even if Asians don’t feel like they’ve been included in people of color, and I’ve heard other people say that Asians are not people of color.

What’s the definition behind that. And how can we be that make that more inclusive? Are we calling it, you know, people of our pressed, people of oppressed communities, does that resonate with everybody?

Masami: Yeah,

Emi: we can get behind? How do we get an acronym behind that? [00:03:00]

There is so many different conversations that are had that this, uh, conversation of diversity equity inclusion.

Doesn’t always include everybody. So how are we championing those same stories pushing the needle forward?

Masami: Not being really explicit about what type of diversity we’re looking for within a space or what inclusion, belonging. Equity truly mean that we’re going to leave groups of people on accounted for, um, one of the prime examples that comes to mind about us not having a clear definition of inclusion is a political one, but during yesterday’s inauguration, we didn’t uplift or highlight indigenous voices during the inauguration ceremony.

Yes. There were indigenous dancers in the parade afterwards, but the choice that was made to. Seeing this land is your land is insulting to indigenous communities. And there was an opportunity there where had people [00:04:00] really been on the same page of what it means to be inclusive within communications around government.

They wouldn’t have egg on their face. And I feel like that’s what the entertainment industry is constantly doing is we’re driving towards telling inclusive stories. But right now it feels like the inclusive storytelling that we’re driving towards. Leaves a lot of communities underrepresented. Um, and you know, David, when you mentioned not feeling like a person of color, I’d love to hear a little bit of your own experience with that

Emi: that

Masami: add some, you know, history and context that I’ve studied around this notion that Asians struggle with the term person of people of color. What was your experience like growing up? Did you consider yourself a person of color? When did that term even really enter your world?

Emi: uh, it didn’t, um, it didn’t occur to me. I was a person of color, cause I just felt like the term people of color [00:05:00] from a derivative of colored people. so, you know, we have had this conversation even earlier, it was about, um, I’m sorry, I’m trying to get this screen screen recording so we can like risk court capture selected window.

oops, that I want to get this so we can have a little more video content, not have me to do two things at the same.

Come on.

I can’t hear

Masami: Do you think that that question takes us away from where we’re trying to go? Cause I can also reframe that.

Emi: No, I think we can, we can, we can, we’ll tie it back in now. We’ll get there. but yeah, I D I, you know, I derived the term people of [00:06:00] color from myself. It was it was, I thought, and I was kind of like unconsciously taught that it was derived from the term colored people. There’s this whole conversation of, for Asians and people who are not, black or Brown or white.

if you were back in the 19 hundreds, early 19 hundreds, what bathroom would you go into? Like, if you were aligned to whiteness and they accepted you or are you people of color? Like, I think nowadays we would know like, we’re, we’re, we’d go in the colored bathroom, but we didn’t, some people didn’t know back then.

You didn’t know which, didn’t drink from cause you were half, you know, to whiteness, but you weren’t accepted by the black community. It’s like this whole conversation in there. So when it comes to telling diverse stories, out BiPAP people, our Asians included like, yes, they should be and they are.

But are we actually championing for those stories in the same way we are for other communities? Like that’s kind of the, like, it’s a [00:07:00] dis-aggregation of understanding, which. were pushing for guests, black stories in Brown stories need to be pushed forward. But when we’re only doing black Brown stories, we can push for that.

But if they’re not also pushing for our stories black, Brown, and Asian, like we need to include that within the whole spectrum. isn’t about Isn’t the same way about talking about police brutality or talking about, um, Money and which community has more or less in the entertainment industry.

It’s a whole nother topic because it’s an art community. It’s, who’s getting out. Who’s being able to tell the stories. Where’s the money coming from. Who’s championing the stories. It’s a whole nother topic. Um, And pipeline of what’s going on. If there are no Asians, there’s tons and thousands of Asian writers, not enough Asian managers, who’s telling those stories to go all the way up.

There are not enough executives, Asian executives who are championing the stories on the way down. If there are, they’re the only Asian in the room. [00:08:00] So they’re going to be left out of the conversation or say, we don’t have enough not going to put enough effort into it. You know, they’re just not going to have that same poll to push those stories.

Cause they’re going to get so much pushback that everybody in the room who is not Asian, they’re just going to say, well, we can pass on that story with champion these stories because five of those people are white people champion white story, five of those who are black people, five of those people are Latin X people, but in the one Asian in the room, get bought out.

They just don’t get to have that same poll and voice. So we need to have more people in those positions to, to champion themselves so that they’re having their own communities. at the same, we can always still promote others, but we have to also for our, our own community because we can’t rely on somebody else to pull for our community when there’s already enough unconscious bias and stereotyping that happens against our community for being modeled minorities.

That they think that we’re doing just fine. We don’t need to champion your stories, [00:09:00] but if you actually look at the industry and the what’s going on with being shown on screen, there’s a huge lack. So that’s what we’re trying to push in these programs, but the programs aren’t working with us to make that happen.

Masami: Yeah, I think you bring up two really important points there. There’s a lack of, uh, there’s a number. If, if we were all given one bid, say on a project and any identity, that would mean that any identity that’s underrepresented, if there’s only one Asian or one black person or one Latin X, or one indigenous person in the room, they’re only each going to get one vote.

But now we’re seeing that the industry is more representative of certain groups within the communities of people of color. Right? So there’s more bids there and. Another challenge that we, as an industry, as a nation really do need to address is the self identifying [00:10:00] aspect of the BiPAP conundrum. You mentioned like if there are Asian Americans that are not considering themselves people of color, then they will not. Put themselves up for those spaces where BiPAP is the terminology that we use. And we need to address that issue because history has American history has told Asians that they are not people of color. In fact, white supremacy and whiteness has aligned Asians with. White people in order to marginalize black communities, right?

Like our first articles we’ve mentioned in other podcasts recordings about the model minority myth was created by a white sociologist. In order to say that the Japanese Americans were more successful than the black community, again, to marginalize the black community, they weaponize the Asian American community against them.

So it’s. Ben. So Asian [00:11:00] identity has been aligned to whiteness for convenience. Whenever the. White powers that be felt like it was useful for Asians to be aligned to their team. They would count them. And when it wasn’t useful for the agency aligned to their team, they don’t count them. So that means that as an Asian, Asian American community, we do have some sort of identity crisis that we do get to address ourselves.

Um, of course, some people will automatically consider themselves BiPAP. I’ve always considered myself a person of color. Um, Because of my experience being othered in both my Japanese community and in my white communities, it, I just didn’t fit. So I figured, okay, well that means. I’ll probably be considered a person of color because it just don’t fit into whichever group that I seem to be in, unless I’m in a group of a lot of people of color.

And so that my own experience was able to help me determine that. But if they’re, if we’re already struggling within our own community to [00:12:00] crystallize who we are and what we are, then we will not be able to champion ourselves effectively in spaces that say, okay, by POC folks can champion themselves here.

Because there’s already an internal identity struggle that needs to be accounted for. And I’m wondering when it comes to, you know, you mentioned like executives in the room, being able to pull up Asian, identifying stories, I’ve spoken with some folks in the, who are executives within this industry. And they’re, they face that really difficult position of saying like, I can’t champion Asian stories every single time because it becomes. A it’ll discredit me within the community of other white people or other people of color. Cause there’ll be like, Oh Ted, you know, he just champions the Asian stories, but Ted’s the only Asian in the room. So he feels like he has an obligation in those situations. Like [00:13:00] how does Ted use the tools of calling out or calling in the issue to his advantage?

Emi: I mean, I think it’s really talking with having really good conversations, like really deep, if it’s one-on-one conversations like, yeah. I might be the only Asian in the room champion, Asian stories. I might be the odd person, mean Asian stories. And you’re saying he’s the only Asian guy he’s only ever going to do Asian stories, but is anybody else going to do Asian stories?

that’s the question we have to ask if I don’t push them, no one else will. If they’re not talking, if you know, you’re not going, if you non-Asians are not going to talk with the Asian American community in, in nowhere to find them to create stories, you’re not going to look for them.

I’m already tapped in by just by me looking who I am. [00:14:00] already going to have an in with people who. Connect with me. They know my background, they understand, and I understand their stories. So where they’re coming from, we know some of the issues, we don’t know all the issues, not everybody is as educated as some other people.

We, Asian-Americans, you know, there is not a full conversation had about what it means to be. Asian-American alone your own ethnicity. We can’t or not a monolith. You can’t just say. character is Asian-American once you, you can do that, but the moment you start creating a real character out of that, that real character needs to be a real person, even if it’s a fictional person, that background of that person is real.

So where are they coming from? What generation are they?

Masami: Where’s the input coming from for other people in the room to build that character. Right. Because it can’t just be the one Asian American or Asian person in that room saying, okay, I guess I’m in charge of creating a fully functioning Asian-American person for [00:15:00] this script that isn’t me. Right. That is a combination of all these different identities.

That’s not going to work either. You’re not going to get the best identity. And I think one of the problems that leads say, you know, Ted, in this example to being the only one that is advocating for Asian stories is because there isn’t a common goal. There isn’t common alignment that we’re saying, uh, we definitely need to lift up.

Find opportunities for Asian stories, black stories, indigenous stories, Latin, a Latin X stories, LGBTQ plus stories. Like if we’re not

explicitly, this is the goal. If we’re not explicitly saying that this is the goal, then

Emi: something happened.

Masami: yeah. It just cut out

Emi: It cut. And now

Masami: now it’s it’s coming out of my,

yeah.

Emi: Mike, get shy, touching a migraine settings.

Masami: It won’t let [00:16:00] me click now. Okay.

Oh

Emi: uh, looking like a

Masami: yeah. Let’s pause

for a second. ———————————–

.If we’re not being explicitly clear that we need to advocate for particular stories, then certain stories will be unaccounted for.

Most likely stories of the people who are the most underrepresented in the room that you’re in.

Right? So if it’s one Asian it’s going to be the most underrepresented, or if it’s just one gay person, it’s going to be the underrepresented story. And I, I hear your argument for changing, like BiPAP to, you know, marginalized identities or oppressed identities, because that is more comprehensive.

Um, it is broad and there would be also some. Education around that too. Um, because I have also in, in my work with the eye space, there are a lot of white folks that also feel marginalized or oppressed because they’re low income or they’re women. And there is a [00:17:00] difference because of the privilege of white identity that is.

Still ruminating and being learned by our society today. Um, so, Ooh, that makes me question my love for the term BiPAP, but also question whether marginalized or oppressed identities would be effective for us in terms of yeah. I think in terms of gathering us all to get us on a common page, right? One of the tools that you and I completely know is necessary is community building, creating a movement that is more than one person, right. We know that there’s more power in aligning, uh, with other people to, towards a common goal.

So if we were to do that, Within the, if we need to align to a common goal within the entertainment industry, then we probably need to be pretty explicit about who the players are, what roadblocks each of these players are facing, or the communities are facing and how do we remove them [00:18:00] explicitly. And that’s where I’m so glad that.

You know, even in the plus spaces that we’ve created in clubhouse, people are really focused in, on identifying the barriers for Asian Americans within this industry and removing them because to your point earlier, we’re the ones that are going to be able to represent and support our community the best because we are those people.

Emi: Yeah, well, And I can never represent another community for them. Right. If I could, you want me to pitch a story about a BiPAP community? And you’re going to say, I want you to pitch a black story. I’m just I’m I can pitch something, but it’s not going to resonate and no, one’s going to want me to write that, No one in the black community, you don’t want me to write that. So why would you assume that someone in the black community a lot next to me, any other community besides Asians be pitching Asian stories? You need Asians to pitch Asian stories. Cause they’re going to come from a real place. You might be able to pitch something.

Then you want an Asian in there. Okay. What kind of Asian? You just, you just said Asian there. When you just [00:19:00] say Asian, like you’re already make, make me feel triggered. Like, do you know what kind of Asian you’re talking about? Are you just going to say any of the Asians? Like, okay. As like saying any of the black, like, no, one’s gonna want me to say that’s a trigger word that I don’t even want to put on this podcast, but.

Like that’s, that’s, that’s monolith thing. You know, the Asian community, you have to go and say, you know, what story and why? there is a difference, but if you’re not going to get that, then probably shouldn’t do it. Let’s one of the Asian community people do do the Asian story. If you want to start selling and writing more Asian stories champion for Asian stories,

Masami: yeah.

Emi: you

Masami: And be

about what type of stories you’re looking for. And maybe even if you want to be strategic about it as a creator, whether you’re an executive or a writer, you want to champion the most underrepresented stories, then look at dis-aggregated data and understand within the Asian American community, which communities are the most [00:20:00] marginalized are the most depressed and maybe write a story about them.

If that’s the goal. However, one thing that you’ve mentioned that brings up an interesting, interesting conundrum around race and identity is that noticed that in America, we have a. Aversion. We, we don’t want to call out a specific racial identity, like white folks. Don’t like to say black people.

They think that that might be seen as racist, right? White folks also don’t like to be called white and they don’t understand why that is, but they just know that being called a white person has been used as a insult for a long time. And. The same goes for Asian communities too. Like, I don’t like to be called an Asian.

I don’t like somebody to say, Oh, you Asian, Oh, you’re still Asian because you use chopsticks. It’s like, now I’m a me and I choose to use chopsticks. That’s [00:21:00] somebody who’s not Asian could very much choose to use chopsticks and not be Asian. Um, but when we in America use race to. Explicitly call on somebody.

There seems to be some sort of aversion to it because of our deep seated racism and how we we’ve weaponized race against one another. And I’m starting to think that our solution is honestly just getting really comfortable with explicitly calling out certain races and being like, okay, Actually, we respect you because you are Japanese and white, and that is your mixed race identity.

That is something we want to lift up. We want to celebrate it. And let’s like reframe this so that our ability to write stories can be a lot more detailed. We can, I mean, if. If storytelling is all about the details about the little nuances within a character’s identity, then we gotta get explicit with it.

Emi: right. And I think there’s the, I mean, there’s a whole conversation within [00:22:00] Asian-America itself. Like necessarily mind being called Asian it’s until it’s bad until you’re saying you Asians

Masami: True.

Emi: You know, and you kind of give it a slide. I will slide it slide. And when I tell you I’m Japanese American, like can wouldn’t, you know, that’s when it comes into, like, I would like you to call me Japanese America, or you mean mixed race, Japanese American.

I also there’s the umbrella of Asian America. because we are all. all need to bond together as the community. I haven’t solved earlier today. Like am black. I am not African-American I’d rather be called black. Right. That’s a, there isn’t a shared experience uh, the black community has, and they don’t resonate with the African roots.

so I same with me. Like, I don’t necessarily resonate with the Japanese roots. I really appreciate my culture because I understand it. But I also, I do. I would classify myself as Asian-American, especially since my family has been here for so long.

Masami: That’s a really good point.

Emi: [00:23:00] so you

Masami: Yeah.

Emi: you can call me Asian and I’d rather you say Asian-American for sure, but I still resonate with Asian because that is the vast diaspora.

Uh, I consider it. But I think the other is that you know, Wolger Asians who understand this, these terminologies, I will, I will. okay with Asian. Uh, but their society needs to understand that Asian doesn’t mean only from Asia.

Masami: Yeah.

Emi: Asian and there’s Asian-American. Yes, those are two.

I do classify myself as Asian and Asian American, but I am Asian American. I’m not Asian. So. There is this whole nuance conversation that people were still trying to get to understand. as a community, we’re so understanding and having a conversations now, thankfully for clubhouse, we’re able to talk about it rather than just fight about it on comment threads.

Masami: Yeah.

Emi: we’re still having the conversation, the other communities, can’t just be saying they know the conversation. So we need to have more employee resource groups within the. [00:24:00] these companies that are Asian based because they need to start having the conversation and thinking about the marketing, the strategies, the films that they want to show, the TVs they want to make, how are they really promoting for these new stories to come out?

effectively. So we talked about earlier that, uh, the marketing departments don’t put money into marketing for Asian stories because they think there’s only 6% of the population that would actually watch it. But then when they don’t put marketing money into it and that show doesn’t do well because they don’t get enough viewers on it.

It’s because you didn’t do the marketing

Masami: not because it’s used in story.

Emi: because it’s the Asian story because you didn’t do the marketing. And when you do the marketing, who are you marketing to? Are you only marketing to Asians? Are you only marketing this stuff? do you find to say that this show is Asian, Asian American or Japanese American?

Are you hitting to that Japanese community? Are you going to all the [00:25:00] Japanese places to start promoting it from the inside and. out. So the Japanese American community can go and say, this show’s going to be awesome. then that they get, they talk to their other friends, this, and then they can, then the Japanese can say this Asian show is really amazing.

Like it spreads from the inside out, but you have to

Masami: Yeah.

Emi: the very community that it’s going to promote, because if the, if you start going, put something that’s, Chinese American, but it’s super racist against the Chinese. Are the Chinese going to want to promote that? So if you start doing that, they’re not going to want to do it.

So you just can do Asian and then like, this is all awful.

Masami: Yes.

Emi: weird mix of things, because other thing that marketing behind like blink empire, if you haven’t watched blink empire, watch it. something that has all this new, um, was conversations about, okay, it’s crazy. It’s rich and it’s Asian.

So guess it’s playing off the crazy rich Asians and the stereotypes behind it. Like does [00:26:00] perpetuate that same stereotypes of it time. huge on representation. are real people. They are real things with real money. Like you can’t deny that this thing is, these people are rich and crazy.

It’s

Masami: that’s that’s their life and it’s nuanced.

Right.

Emi: whole life. at the same time, the, the relationships in between it are actually universal. So some of this stuff I see between the two characters, I’m like, my life. Yep. Right there. I know that person, that person is, you know, such and such. I’m like, yeah. So some of these things really made a lot of sense.

And so I actually love that you, I haven’t seen, um, house of hoe yet, but blaming empire, I think it did really well. I think the community who people who’ve watched it actually think it does really well. People who. Don’t watch it. Uh, haven’t watched it, they talk about the stereotypes. Like we shouldn’t watch it, like it a chance.

Cause actually it does a lot of good things it does bad.

Masami: and honestly, I [00:27:00] was on the fence. I was almost about to be one of the people who were like, cancel the show because it’s not representing. Me, right. This is me saying it doesn’t represent anything that my life is like, I’m not a crazy rich Asian. I don’t understand that experience, but when we were on clubhouse the other night, and then after hearing you talk about this, my mind started to shift because one of the speakers had come on from the UK and was mentioning that he celebrates it.

When there’s a story, a TV show. Telling the stories about any identity that is his identity. Because again, it’s helping people realize that we’re not a monolith. That we even within the Asian community, there are some crazy rich Asians, but even within the crazy rotations, there are different types of people in there that they have full blown stories, emotions, feelings, everything.

And so I think that it is valuable now for us to see that represented. Even if it’s not. [00:28:00] The perfect, like empowering story that I want about Asian identity, because every other community of color in the entertainment world has had to start in a comedic way or in a romance in romance stories. Like, you know, the whole Medea Tyler Perry empire started off of some really silly stories, but it was giving him the opportunity to. Bring in the money that would again, allow him to create other stories in the longterm. So I myself have been changing. My own opinion when it comes to what stories get put forward, do they really need to have that full impact? Am I going to put my energy into canceling something? If I don’t think it represents my community or myself?

Well, honestly, I had to check myself. I really had to call myself in and have a conversation with myself, like, okay. Just because it’s not. Exactly what you think should be put out there if it’s not showing those [00:29:00] lives and stories of the people in your life. Does that mean that it’s bad? Does it mean that it’s moving the needle in the wrong direction? I don’t think so. I think intelligent people will watch the show and be able to laugh and see the nuances. Just like you mentioned, the, see the universal themes, which is really important when humanizing Asian-Americans in the U S because we’re not. Seen as human. A lot of the times we’re seen as aliens as foreign residents.

So I’m, I’m much, I’m not going to cancel how’s how’s it ho or bling empire, because I see it. I see them for what they’re doing now. Thank God for our clubhouse conversations. And thank God that you’re, you know, you pressed me and challenged me on this automatic cancel mindset that I’ve been in.

Emi: Yeah. And part of it too, isn’t that You know, like I wish it would this kind of show wouldn’t be. out the next five years, like something like so that we have more nuanced conversations within ourselves and the society has moved a little further, but when you out [00:30:00] there

Masami: Okay.

Emi: is actually really cool because not only does it hit a demographic of people who watch reality TV shows,

Masami: Yeah.

Emi: who would actually just watch it you know, these shows are going to be made.

And they’re also, there’s a whole young Jersey shore, these are just rich people crazy things. This just happens to be a rich show about. Rich people doing crazy things who are Asian, it’s a

Masami: Yeah,

Emi: of things. This show is going to get made no matter what, because that’s what the market, there’s a whole market for it.

Masami: that’s true.

Emi: so it’s do, I wish the representation was a little better in where we are in society. Yeah. But. Having the show made. It actually does help move it forward. Not only do people want to watch this stuff, I definitely want a second season. And then people, a lot of people want a second season. and there’s actually a really good stuff that I didn’t learn.

I mean, I know some stuff, so I was there, but you know, somebody who was adopted a Korean adoptee, someone who didn’t know that they weren’t full a Korean, uh, someone who, uh, found out their father, you know, were they lost their [00:31:00] father over time, like spoil us Irish, spoiler alert, but of these things, there are those things.

But also one of the dudes in blink empire, isn’t rich. He just has a rich friends and you’re like, I’m that guy? I’m definitely that guy. I’m the guy who gets the free shoes and then says, this is too expensive. I have to give it back. And that’s when I was like, yeah, that’s me. And he’s like, no, You know, th those are your shoes.

Like I gave their gift and like, you don’t give gifts back. And like I like, yeah, I’m definitely that dude who would be so kind to be like, this is too much. I can’t just accept this. there is that thing. And also I saw one moment, he’s the dude, he’s a, they’re all, most of them are like Buddhist and he’s like, I don’t know, there’s too many ass don’t step on the ants.

Like watch out for the hands. Like, come on, move off the hands. I’m like, that was very Asian Buddhist. Like you don’t.

You to the answer. So I’m like the other people just don’t care. So I just thought I saw something little things like that are going to add more. It might make him sound weak. Cause he’s not killing the ants, but like kill the ants.

So

Masami: know it’s so weird in general that our culture [00:32:00] feels that you are stronger. If you don’t, you’re not afraid to step on bugs. You’re not afraid to take a life. You are stronger.

Emi: You’re not afraid to have dominance, know,

all So I think there’s, there’s nuance. That’s, that’s part of the religion. So it’s different religion.

Masami: Right.

Emi: much to be talked about.

Masami: Well, I think that this challenges like this store, the store, I think that the stories like this, that show the nuances that, um, highlight how unique and different we all are as Asian Americans or Asians helps break down the grip that white supremacy has. On our mindsets, even within ourselves.

Right. Because convinced, just going to say that I’m convinced. That each of us in America, if we were raised here, if we lived here for a significant amount of time, we have a mindset that is geared towards white supremacy, where we think that white is right where we think that we, we trust white businessmen, white doctors, more than we [00:33:00] would trust people who look like us or communities of color.

Um, just like we have this weird bias where we trust older people more than we trust younger people. Right. They’re not really grounded in any truth. It’s just what society has pushed along for us. And when it comes to creating stories, that shot that are highlighting our true identities, we begin to crumble what we think is truly right.

And we’re beginning to show that. A, this show shows that there are many very successful, very rich Asian people, and that wealth is not connected to whiteness. And I think we’re probably going to hear back from people who are saying, well, you know, Asians are basically white to which my responses, please do some research and recent reading that on and on the model minority myth, because we’ve talked about it in a few different episodes and we’ll continue to talk about it, but.

If we can get around this notion that wealth and power are not inherently white traits that we can begin to [00:34:00] build, like our own empires. Tyler Perry is doing that right with his studio. He is showing us that he can build wealth, that he can create whatever he wants, even sports players. Like I think of Kobe Bryant, um, even sports players, I think of, uh, Um, God, why am I forgetting his name?

I think of LeBron James and how he went ahead and joined the Miami heat and made a deal with the Miami heat that he would get to play with Dwayne Wade and, um, another player on the Miami heat. And they would all take reduced pay in order for Miami to have them together, they would get their championship rings and then they would be able to go on with their careers.

They decided that deal on their own as black basketball players and moved over to the Miami heat, leaving the Cleveland Browns completely out. And the industry, the sports industry had a whole uproar because they’re like, Oh, [00:35:00] Our players are taking agency for their own careers or their own identities, and then building power and wealth for themselves.

How dare they do that, but we want to be able to do that within the industry, right? Like we can’t just keep going to the same tables that have been denying Asian stories, or only lifting up certain types of Asian stories and expect to get a different result. We have to build our own. Tables where we are approving our own content, creating our own content, financing, our own content, and anybody who wants to join along.

It’s welcome to do that. It doesn’t mean that it’s only Asians allowed, right? That’s, that’s stupid, but I’m seeing an opportunity grow more and more as we build this conversation around power Asian power and Asian-American power we’re we’re in this opportunity to build it ourselves. But we can’t do that alone to your point earlier.

Like what have you seen in clubhouse or in the organizing that you’ve done, um, within this space as being the opportunities that have come out by building power together.

Emi: Yeah, [00:36:00] well, generally it’s this. Can you hear me? Okay. Um, generally it’s the same thing that a lot of the conversations are having between, you know, understanding like get this right. Well, we have to come together. We have to, they come together to build the community and have these conversations.

If we’re not having the conversations in a town hall and everybody has to go to, what are we going to do now that we have, we had zoom in the past year, which has been great. We’re having bigger town halls, people jump on the call. It’s great. we have clubhouse. Now we’re coming together in different way and have constant conversations instead of having to.

Make sure we’re on zoom. different on zoom. Clubhouse is just so much more accessible for people to come on. Talk, not have to get their whole makeup and make the backgrounds and all that kind of stuff. Um, more people and more people can listen on the conversation, drop in, drop out, and then they can go on for two hours less zoom, fatigue, and less moderation and zooming part.

But, the other part of it is too, is that if we don’t do it, then no one else will and we have to do the work. We, [00:37:00] yes, we need other communities to work with us, but they are not going to want to do the majority of the work. have to show and prove that we’ve done the work that we can start having these conversations that we can build our own table.

And then people come in because otherwise we’re waiting for other people to build our table for us. you know, just like every other community has been able to say like, you need to do your research before you come to me asking questions, we have to do our research and start doing the work building.

Billy, you can just the legs and some of the platform of the table. Then we can all start decorating the table with whatever we want.

Masami: Yeah.

Emi: we can’t just, um, we have to start building the community within ourselves much as possible, whether it being, uh, somebody finding the money, like I’m looking at people and like, you know, if you were looking for Asian stories, then let’s, let’s fund it.

If you really put your money where your mouth is, and we’re going to build this whole thing, we don’t have to be just my film, do the system. We do the system together so that we [00:38:00] have just one film to one film, one TV show to champion us all we are actually putting back into the system that gives us everything, um, education, like let’s start there.

Someone really pointed out that when she had her acting classes, they were doing dialects, a white teacher teaching a Scottish Irish, uh, British accents. But. she going to really use that, like sometimes as

Masami: Especially her characters.

Emi: union, Asian dialect coach,

Masami: Yep.

Emi: there aren’t many. there are, they’re not in the right places.

So how do we get other people to start teaching these things so that we are feeding into the community? More people are doing better work

Masami: Yes.

Emi: over time it will better be better. But until we start fixing the systemic problems within just the artist community, we need to start building back. So when I start getting up and moving up that I have a position to give [00:39:00] back down, it’s going to start like how many people can I affect with this?

Position this decision, can only affect one person and help one person, or can I do something that helps a lot of people,

Masami: yeah.

Emi: in the long, even if it doesn’t, if, even if there’s no give back right now or the next year that it might take five years to work in, I think it’s better investment start putting into, uh, a lot of different educational processes give money into a community who’s championing different stories in the proper way to do it, can help other people.

In, larger scopes rather than just a few, few times a year, I think there’s better different decisions that we can start making. Um, as we go up and stop being this whole, I’m the only Asian in the room I made it. I don’t need to help out everybody else if I help out everybody else. And it gives me less jobs.

We have to stop thinking about that. We have to stop thinking it’s champ There are so many white and black actors out there doing their stuff, and they’re all keep [00:40:00] coming up. Why do we have to say only the. five Asians, get to make it in the industry.

Masami: yep.

Emi: the roll out, as they’re moving out and retire.

And new ones come up that the next generation doesn’t really need it because we have these top five, we had to start promoting all of them and bought them because not only are those top five, like mostly Chinese people, maybe some Koreans, but where all the other communities of color were, all the other communities.

Yeah. Asian diaspora, because are so many different stories. You’re not gonna be able to tell the story that I can tell it. I’m not gonna tell the story that you can tell. So we all have to keep moving up because not there isn’t, there are other people who just think that they’re. Asian American.

They don’t understand that their privilege as a, you know, East Asian man or an East Asian woman differs from someone who is a Southeast Asian woman and that their stories are totally different. And that if you’re not championing for those stories together as Asian-Americans, but knowing that her story, uh, as an E Southeast Asian woman, doesn’t get.

Told as often, then we’re not [00:41:00] really helping up everybody. You’re only helping up you’re part of the community and representing only your community. I don’t see enough Japanese people playing Japanese roles, see lot of Japanese playing Chinese roles, that’s a whole nother conversation in itself. But at the same time, we need to start telling the stories of these people so that we not only.

Uh, understand ourselves the differences between these communities, but that we’re representing and having a conversation about the communities that I don’t know enough. And I don’t, uh, identify as

Masami: Right. I think we’re going up, right. The idea is upward momentum. That’s great. But if we don’t also go wide where we expect. Band the number of seats, the tables. So that more stories can be told.

If we, if we don’t move wide and create more slots, more stories that show the different identities, then we will miss out on those opportunities to tell different stories. So I think that there’s this challenge that we have as a community too. Stop thinking in a limited way that there’s only a few seats for us.

There’s [00:42:00] only a few, um, opportunities for us to tell our own stories. We do need to build the power within our group to create, create more stories, to take it into our own hands, put out that content. Yes. Maybe it is going to be at a lower budget for now, but maybe that’s the opportunity that you get. You know, once you have something made, that’s something that you can pitch and show to people who are going to give you more money for the next project or two.

They expand the project that you’re on right now that you’re, that you’ve created at a lower budget. And what I think is really key here in our community building is understanding where there are pitfalls, like where there are. What I think is key to this movement that we see building within Asian-Americans and entertainment is that we don’t stratify ourselves.

Right. We have a lot of history as Asian-Americans a lot of beef with one another. And I do not want to deny that a lot of us need a low cultural training, sensitivity training. [00:43:00] Me included. I had mentioned that I’m a work in progress activist. I’m a work in progress historian too. Like I need to always be bettering my own knowledge of my identity, the identities of the people I’m working with so that we don’t come into conflict.

But once we start doing that identity work, we also need to put in some pegs of like community building there, you know, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X.

Emi: eight

Masami: Gandhi, Gloria Steinem, any of the great people who led movements of any type, they didn’t just. Say, Hey, let’s, have some conversations, they had conversations, they had goals, they had clear outlines and they also, each of them knew what’s particular skillset.

They were bringing into the table as you and I have mentioned and talked about it within like activism culture, right? Burnout is so huge because we all feel like we need to get into the fire. We need to do everything. We need to pick up whatever is dropped. But if we were all to stay in our lanes, Really know, like David is not only a [00:44:00] filmmaker, but he’s strategic.

Okay. We’re going to put him into some strategic positions, but we’re also going to utilize his skillset and making films or making content in this Emmy doesn’t make content. She doesn’t, she has not a filmmaker. We’re not going to give her the camera. Right. Like that’s a really bad idea when it comes to making a movement.

So I’m really excited for the next steps of the movement that we see building around us. Where we’re getting more strategic, we’re getting more explicit. Like, Hey, there’s an opportunity to lift up this particular shell. Let’s all get behind it. Let’s not just do a little bit of work here and a little bit of work there and not come together.

Right? All of these employee resource groups that you mentioned that the entertainment companies, why should. They all do separate Asian Pacific American heritage month. Wouldn’t it have way more impact if all of the entertainment groups got together for Asian Pacific American heritage month and did stuff together, more money, more people on deck, more time.

Emi: There’s more [00:45:00] conversations, like more, uh, at that point. I think everyone, when everybody starts working together, like you’re not going to have the same films that are on Netflix, that aren’t on Hulu. So. Yeah, the competition is not really about who’s watching

Masami: Exactly.

Emi: we need, like, how are we promoted it all?

Uh, everybody does black history month, but not really. The Asian Asian community gets left behind when it comes to Asian American Pacific Islander history month.

Masami: I think we, we do it to ourselves too. It’s like, we let left it behind, but then we’re also not organized around it. Like, you know, Hot take and idea for anybody in the entertainment industry, but like if every major studio and every major streaming service got together and put out a calendar saying today, Wednesday, We’re all gonna watch warrior on HBO, max.

Like everybody within this community is going to get on to HBO max, and we’re going to watch it next day is whatever Roku is streaming and the Asian content next day is Netflix. Like how much more powerful if you got that many more [00:46:00] eyeballs per day, to watch that content for the whole month, maybe we should do that.

Emi: we should. I mean, I don’t know if we want to keep that in. Cause that’s what we are doing. Right. we’ll see how far we get, that is something that needs to happen. We need to start promoting these things, in a very organized way. how are we connecting with community? Are you doing the marketing?

then again, these companies aren’t heavily Asian. So they’re not really looking at it. Even who are in power, decision-making even have to propose these things to people who are not Asian, have to accept it and then say, okay, we’ll do it. So they’re still asking for permission instead of being able to have the authority to do it and make it happen.

So, uh, in this last few minutes, we want to talk about the calling call out. It’s like how we should kind of about it.

Masami: pause one second. I think like, we didn’t even talk about it like this whole episode. So we might just want to make this episode be about building power and building community instead.

Emi: Yeah, that’s

Masami: Um, so [00:47:00] let’s like kind of, yeah. Close out on building power and like the importance and value of that.

Emi: great. I think it’s great. Um, so yeah, building, building power within the community is extremely important, but, uh, is power URI, Cocina. Yeah. Yuri Kochiyama. When we start to know what’s going on, when we start to know what’s going on in history, what’s going on in the Hollywood industry, what’s going on within our community.

Then we start to understand where the power can reside and how we’re coming together to

Masami: yes.

Emi: been in so many, a couple of different Korean groups, and sometimes they’re like, David, we’re actually kind of glad you’re here because you’re Japanese. And know, my grandmother didn’t, didn’t let the Japanese and I, he got into my mind to not date this Japanese woman or, um, You know, I’m in a room.

Like I was the only Japanese in the room and two other Koreans. And they’re like, it’s actually amazing that we’re even having this conversation. for me, I don’t even feel animosity to any Korean people. I don’t, uh, my grandma never said it to anything. There was my family became before the occupation.

[00:48:00] So like, there was never that, that trauma didn’t pass down from, the racism didn’t pass down from my, my great-grandfather. Down to me. So I never, I don’t even understand that comp costs so much.

Masami: yeah.

Emi: have want to have more conversations about it because I know there’s people who don’t, there’s so many Koreans who you know, they didn’t come in this country for long enough for the generations to pass on.

Right. They still have some that mindset still there. That’s, that’s breaking down, but it’s, it’s, it’s almost, it’s fascinating to me because that people actually do hate me. Not hate me, but they have this, uh, of entry to me just because I’m Japanese. it’s interesting.

Masami: That’s the difference between letting our biases rule us and run us and being able to respect them, understand them and utilize them to our advantage. You know, I think you highlight something that is, uh, is a challenge that. Asian-Americans we still have [00:49:00] the privilege of overcoming, like we’re in a privileged place where suddenly we’re not just trying to make ends meet like our parents did, right?

Our Asian American parents, our Asian-American parents didn’t have time to go make friends with people of a different community in a different identity. We have this amazing privilege and opportunity and I’m. So glad that we’re breaking down some of those walls, like we’re breaking it down. We’re looking at the history.

We’re trying to see where this hate came from. Why is it so deep seated? Why do I feel this sort of trauma? And it’s not to disrespect that trauma by any means, but as you mentioned, consciousnesses power, the more we know about why we have these feelings within our own community, the more we’re going to be able to build our power as a community to make a movement together. That’s going to be hard. It’s not going to be easy, but is it going to be worth it? Fuck. Yes, it will. We have, we have to do that. If we want to see the dial move at all and towards, [00:50:00] towards making entertainment more inclusive for Asian-American stories, show them that we can work together.

Emi: Yeah, we have to stop thinking that we can only champion the stories that we have. I’ve been talking to people all the time. I’ve I almost talked to Japanese people. It’s costs the Gambian, uh, Chinese Filipino, Filipina, and, and you won’t mix mixed heritage. Like there’s so many I want to learn about.

But the stuff that we can teach each other and work with the tools are all universal. They’re just tools of the craft. So how are we being able to share that information with others instead of keeping it only in our community. When we, when we bond around this idea of, uh, Asian representation, like I stopped using Asian-American representation, because I also want to include don’t resonate with Americans.

Right that, that side, a lot of indigenous people don’t like it, uh, people and Pacific Islanders don’t their line has been colonized. They don’t recognize this American thing. So really I stopped using AAPI [00:51:00] as well. It doesn’t, doesn’t resonate with everybody and that’s where it kind of goes off.

And we get people on clubhouse who are from Britain and Canada. They’re not Asian-American. They’re Asian British. Right? So when we start saying, I just started saying Asian now, because it does cross the gambit of everybody in diaspora. When we start to come together as a community, as Asians, we start to have these better conversations about what it means to be Asian, under this umbrella, even including this, uh, Everybody underneath the umbrella in their different communities and how we can start using those communities as their own power to then champion other stories.

But together we worked together. We can’t say we worked together in one community. have to work all together from the different communities to champion. Because once we start having that movement and unity, they can’t stop us. we’re invested in everywhere. And then when we start teaching about, uh, sticking up for other people, like I can stick up for Japanese Americans all day long, but once I start speaking up for somebody else’s community, [00:52:00] when they’re not in the room,

Masami: yep.

Emi: just as important.

When I had to get to say, I can’t tell that story. We should find somebody who can giving more. Uh, nuances too. That’s things. If I have to say something that no, that’s her fault for the Vietnamese community, even though I’m not Vietnamese and there’s no Vietnamese in the room, that’s even more important then I understand not only my own community, but other communities.

So we have to start understanding these things. So that we can stick up for other people and that when we, when something does go, uh, something that is for a culture that I will stick up for that culture. I have so many people, you know, we talked about in most of my other Japanese, to ask her friends, they’re like, nobody sticks up for the Japanese when Japanese have whitewashed shows and stuff like that.

No one really calls it out.

Masami: yeah.

Emi: yeah. Why is that just for the Japanese, but, when I get people, I get move on clubhouse and talk about it. They’re like people who are not Japanese, like, no, it’s fine. Like

Masami: Right because of the history of colonization of [00:53:00] Japan, Japan was a colonizer and we ha that’s why I’m so grateful for our conversations in this podcast is because we’re exploring many different opinions. Yes. They are ones that we hold ourselves, but also the ones we’ve been listening to and hearing from, from other people, and we’re able to.

Look at it from a place of where we’re able to look at it and separate some of our emotion from it so that we can figure out who it is that we as a community want to be. Do we want to be United? Do we want to represent a United front in order to make a movement? I mean, honestly, if white America thinks of Asian-Americans as a monolith anyways, right?

Look how much more power we might have if we have everybody joined in together. But I know that the path and the process to have us all joined together involves critical conversations like this. Like the ones that we’re having in clubhouse with people who are of different Asian identities from us, so that we can know not to exclude their experience or how to [00:54:00] respect their experience and how to advocate for one another.

Right? Like. That is the crucial and amazing thing about us talking to people in clubhouse and on this podcast and to each other is like, now I know more about your identity or someone else’s identity, and I can start to potentially flag that for other people who might be offending or hurting or being harmful to that community.

Emi: it takes time and it takes work. You can’t just let it happen. We have to make it happen. you know, yes, it’s a lot of work and yes, you’re going to have to put some time, energy, emotional energy, all that stuff into it. But that’s how the needle moves forward.

Masami: Yes.

Emi: just, uh, live in idealic, uh, bliss and ignorance, like, know who you are and how, what tropes they’re used against, you know, those things, but also know more than the white people.

I know more than other people that who aren’t your community.

I have people, I have people, who said like, yeah, but I, I I’m, I’m doing the research, but it’s like, it’s, [00:55:00] I’m doing the same research that any other white person can do. I’m like, okay. you need to do the research that no white person could do no person from not in your community can do.

That’s your super power. You have to go and understand and do that research that no one else could do so that you can understand not only yourself, but the characters are going to write. The stories are going to champion and where in the industry that you reside in, what you can do better.

Masami: And when you’re in the audition room and you’re being asked to do an Asian accent or a Chinese accent, you can be the person. As you know, we had somebody on clubhouse who I’m not going to name by name because we didn’t get explicit permission from him, but he was talking about his experience being asked to do a Chinese accent and he was able to educate and kind of school the room by saying, Oh, do you want me to do a Beijing accent, Cantonese accent?

Are we thinking like more like Ching dynasty or are we thinking, you know, more modern day? And of course the people in the casting room were like, uh, um, uh, we don’t, we

don’t [00:56:00] know.

Emi: we want more Ching Chong link,

Masami: Yes,

Emi: that’s what we want.

Masami: glee. And that’s when you’re, you’re able to call them in, in a way that makes them feel like they have egg on their face, but also help them realize that there’s much more for them to learn.

And that’s why there’s so much power in consciousness, right?

Emi: Consciousness and having the strength and, and to call, call it in, calm out.

Masami: Yeah.

Emi: to, if we don’t, if we just take it, we’re just being the docile Asians that they think we are. And we are not, we’re not that. So we have to understand what we can, what our power is in our power is being Asian and, and very being very curious and, uh,

Masami: utilizing our voice. I mean, I think you’re teasing everybody as to what our next episode is going to be about calling in, calling out and cancel culture. But that’s a tool that is one of the tools that when we utilize it with our strong sense of identity, our strong sense of purpose and a common goal. We’re going to be unstoppable and making this happen for all of us, not [00:57:00] just for some of us.

Emi: And with that note, I think we should start close down. So I want to thank everybody for listening to our podcast this week. Um, know, we have so much more, I think we were going to have to redo our intro, but, you know, we, we appreciate you taking the time to listen to this podcast. we want to recognize that we are two Asian race, Asian, Japanese people from

Masami: Yup.

Emi: we had.

Masami: Yup.

Emi: white. We only have our opinions. We want to hear from others. that’s why we have clubhouse. And if you don’t know about clubhouse, uh, it’s the new thing. That’s kind of going hot. Yeah. Now, so really on it. Uh, we are on it. We have the strong Asian league club. We hold a daily, almost daily a week.

We hold, uh, I hold weekday rooms at 8:00 PM, through Friday

Masami: Pacific

Emi: Pacific standard time. Yes. Thank you. Uh, on Tuesdays are our official meetings, Emmy and I will talk about a new topic. We’ll bring in some guests and we have to hold conversations with, uh, other people in the Asian [00:58:00] American, diaspora within entertainment.

Um, Thursdays, we have the Asian writers room. We talk about what it means to be a writer, whereas everybody in their careers, how are we championed for more Asian stories? what are we doing to. Be better at our, at writing these stories. Um, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, they’re topical rooms. It could be different something on microaggressions.

It would be something on the site, guys, something in the news. Uh, we just have different topics. And what are we gonna discuss about them? Uh, you, again, if you don’t know what clubhouse is, basically, it’s like having a podcast except that other people can raise their hand and join the conversation you can have up to, A hundred people on the con on the, on this show, if you want, of the conversations have lasted for six hours, 12 hours, I’ve heard one go for a whole week.

And so people would people jump in, jump out and you know, it’s great. The room will stay open. Like obviously when people have to sleep, but the room will stay open. We had our one on Tuesday about acting with an Asian accent and it went on for three hours straight.

Masami: Yep.

Emi: there’s so much to be talked about and what we love about clubhouses [00:59:00] that anybody can join in from anywhere.

And we’re not having to invite them in. They’re inviting themselves into the conversation and inserting the stories and we want to hear from them. So we do have a recording of one podcast. Uh, one of the clubhouse episodes. We don’t know if we’re going to post tonight night. It wasn’t great audio, the conversation that was had was really important.

And so when we start talking about these things with other people, That’s when we start getting, uh, that’s when we start moving the needle and as we’re as strong Asian leads, starting to spearhead that thing, we are having a conversation and building a community together.

Masami: And we want you to be in it. So if you want to be able to connect with us clubhouses, the way this podcast is not sponsored by clubhouse, but we hella would be if they wanted to sponsor us. So we hope that we’re going to see your faces, your little squares on clubhouse in our meetings, driving this conversation.

Call us in call us out. Like we’re all work in progress, activists. We’re all working progress on our own identities and our own knowledge. And the only way we’re going to get better is if we’re having conversations. Yeah. I would [01:00:00] like some respect and kindness involved, but that’s just me. Some people just love to be called out

everybody’s preference, but let’s do that together.

Emi: Right. And there’s something you didn’t like on the podcast, like that’s the clubhouse of the place to go? Like if you say something and you’re like, actually I want to push back on that. I’ve done that. I’ve done that to people. I feel like I probably shouldn’t have done that too. I’m like, I talked to people who are like bigger actors and actresses and like, I want to push you back.

And this is the first thing I’m going to say to you is actually pushing back. I’m like, Oh, but

Masami: Wow.

Emi: to do it because when you start having these conversations, we’re all just people. So I’m not going to hold back or someone who’s in the industry forever. And I’m just, you know, I’m quote, quote, unquote new.

But like at the same time I have different opinions and we’re going to all talk about that. If we could start moving the needle, having these different conversations, because not really there to ha we’re not all on the same page. When we start getting on the same page, it will be a little different, um, So again, we’re on clubhouse.

Uh, it is 8:00 PM we’re on clubhouse 8:00 PM Pacific standard time. we’re have daily and come by the room drop in. You can just listen in [01:01:00] or you have something to say. We would love to hear it. Otherwise you can find us on Twitter and Instagram as strong Asian lead. please follow us there.

It is up on our DMS. If you’re interested in being on the podcast, we’d love to hear from you. if you’re, if you’re having trouble with clubhouse, like, you know, and we’ll jump in and help you out on there a little bit too. uh, the meantime, we look forward to more conversations, more podcasting, Emmy.

I always love talking to you. So

Masami: here.

Emi: going to do this, it’s always just magical. So, uh, again, everybody for coming in, listening to the podcast. And, we look forward to speaking with you more.

Masami: Charlie, everybody. Thank you so much.

Emi: Okay, that’s great. Let’s do the intro real quick.

Masami: Yes.

Emi: me in a building. Yeah. I mean, it’s so great to speak with you again,

Masami: We’ve been building some community at you in particular have been building mega community and building a lot of power. One of my favorite quotes about community building is from Fannie Lou Hamer about [01:02:00] building power and how we can do it ourselves. That’s what this episode is all about.

Emi: build power through community. And as we’re building community, we gain that power be strength, stronger in numbers. so as we start to build this community together, we are having the ability to only champion our stories for our individual stories, but the champion, the stories of others. as we.

together as Asians and Asian-Americans, able to have a better conversation, more nuanced conversation what it means and how we can change the industry together.

Masami: what

Emi: in this

Masami: opportunities exist for each of us and how we’re planning to as a community, get over the barriers together. No one person is going to do it alone.

Emi: So in this podcast episode, we’re going to talk about community building and what you can do to start changing the industry for yourself and how we can build it together. thanks for tuning in, and here we go.

Masami: This is the strong Asian lead podcast, a [01:03:00] podcast fluff, um, a podcast of the

Emi: Asian

Masami: Hollywood

entertain Asian. This is the strong Asian lead podcast, a podcast all about the Asian Hollywood landscape. This is the strong Asian lead podcast, a podcast, all about the Asian-American and Asian landscape Hollywood

Emi: let me do that again.

Masami: motel. I’m your cohost I I’m. I’m one of your hosts Emi Lea Kamemoto.

Emi: Okay. And I’m your other host David Moriya. And we’re so glad to have you on this podcast today listening to what we’re going to build on how Asian-Americans and Asians can come together to build a better Hollywood.

Masami: that was great. Love.

Emi: You want to do the intro again? The part,

Masami: Sure.

Emi: the Hollywood landscape is the Asian landscape in Hollywood

Masami: He’s your and Hollywood. Okay.

Emi: wherever you’re going to do it and just make it a confident and like

clean it.

Masami: you’re listening to the strong Asian lead podcast, a podcast all about the Asian Holly, excuse me. You’re listening to the strong Asian lead podcast, a podcast all about the Asian landscape in [01:04:00] Hollywood. I’m Emiliya Comey Modo. One of your co-hosts.

Emi: And I’m David Moriya, your other cohost.

Masami: Thanks for joining us today.

Emi: I think that’s great. Do we need anything else? Uh, plug. Oh, um, yeah. Oh, and we’re, uh, we’re releasing our survey. So please, if you have, Also we’re releasing our survey soon. If you want to be a part of this survey and let us know, we would love to share with you and learn more about you. We want to make this a very detailed and extensive survey on understanding who in Asian Hollywood is, is doing what.

We want to know exactly what your backgrounds are. What’s your ethnicity, how many languages you can speak? Um, what are you writing, directing? How many, how many things you’ve done? It’s an extensive survey, but we want to, we use, we want to understand where we are in Hollywood, because we think that the data that’s being used as only from the represented people who have managers, who are in the DGA PGA, we want to know from.

Everybody in America and everywhere around the world, what they’re doing, because I never want to have to hear [01:05:00] the question or answer. I can’t find someone who’s Cambodian in this story writer. want to be, I want us to be able to find, we want to know who you are, where you are, what you’re doing. So that, that question will never have to be answered with.

Now. I don’t know either. I wanted to say, go, go, find strong Asian lead. They have, they know exactly where you are and how to get in contact with you. So please. Take our survey. We’d love to know more about you and thank you so much.

Masami: that’s great. That’s perfect.

Emi: Yeah,

we’re getting there.

Masami: yeah, no, I love that. I do need to jump off, uh, before my next call, but, um, maybe we could, do you mind if we actually set like, uh, The minutes before our call with, um, actually not with Christie. Cause today I.